Lewis Hamilton fears F1 rivals have advantage but still expects CLOSE race

Lewis Hamilton attends the British Grand Prix press conference — Photo: © LAT Images

Singapore Grand Prix

Hamilton fears F1 rivals have advantage but still expects CLOSE race

The Briton expects the grid to be very tight

Luis Raya

Friday 15 September 2023 20:27

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes are slightly behind Ferrari in Singapore, but he still expects the battle among the top three or four teams to be very close.

After the podium at the British Grand Prix, neither Hamilton nor Mercedes have finished in the top three since. The Briton has secured two fourth-place finishes and two sixth-place finishes in the last four rounds, which haven't quite suited the characteristics of his car.

In Singapore, the competition is strong, with Ferrari flying through the Friday sessions, while Mercedes and McLaren have also shown strong pace. In contrast, Red Bull has faced several issues.

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In FP1, Hamilton was fifth, and Russell was sixth, but in FP2, they showed better pace, finishing third (RUS) and fifth (HAM). Hamilton acknowledges the superiority of their rivals but remains optimistic for the rest of the weekend.

"It was a really smooth sailing day," Hamilton said. "I think we've started on the right foot I think we've progressed from FP1 to FP2 which is not too often the case. And so I feel like we've got a good platform to work off.

He added: "We are a little bit off compared to the Ferraris but we'll work overnight to see if we can close that gap.

"I think we're very close to the top three or four teams,[they are] all very, very close within a tenth or so of each other."

Hamilton pleased with track changes

Hamilton anticipates a close battle in Singapore

For this year, there have been significant changes to the Marina Bay circuit in the third sector. Turns 16, 17, 18, and 19 have been replaced by a straight, making it a much faster circuit and creating a new possible overtaking point.

While there have been people who haven't liked these changes, the majority agree that the new layout could generate more on-track action and is generally better. Hamilton is one of those who have expressed satisfaction with these changes.

"So I think that the changes to the track have been great. I think it really, really kind of opened up the circuit to be even greater than it was before and the changes they've done with the surface," he said.

"The new tarmac that they put down, has made it so much more enjoyable to drive. So yeah, definitely excited for tomorrow. Just got to make sure we're sensible with the changes we make."